Meet Jan Elder and Peridot Keaton-Jones

Today we welcome Jan Elder, author of one of our 2015 Christmas Extravaganza titles. It's great to get to know Jan, but today we have a special treat. Peridot Keaton-Jones is with us–our heroine from A Semi-Precious Christmas

What is your writing schedule like?

I have a full time job and I'm a night person so most of my writing is done on the weekends or sometime in the wee, small hours of the night.

How did you come up with your title?

There was a jewelry store robbery right up the street from us. It's family owned and upscale but small-town. As to the Semi-Precious part, my own birthstone is a Peridot so the name of my heroine, Peri, fit right in.

What's your next project?

I'm writing a book about a chocolate shop, tentatively title A Semi-Sweet Christmas. Can you imagine the yummy research I get to do?

How can readers reach you?

I LOVE to hear from readers. My website address is JanElderAuthor.com

And now a word from Peridot

Hi Peridot. Please introduce yourself and tell us about you!

Hi and thank you for having me. My name is Peridot Keaton-Jones. I've been a jewelry store manager for several years, and I love my job.

Tell us about where you live and why you choose to live there?

I live in a little town in central Maryland. I guess I live here because it's always been home. Why leave a place that makes you happy?

The author of my story is a customer of mine and we've been friends for quite awhile. She has the best husband ever who pays attention to her likes and dislikes. Do you know he's already bought her a necklace for Christmas? I think he's a lot like my Chris. Thoughtful.

What obstacles did you have to overcome in order to reach your happily-ever-after?

After my husband died suddenly, I sort of closed in on myself. The years immediately after were pretty foggy, and I'm still healing, but I'm ready now to move on and date again.

Tell us about your knight in shining armour. What makes him so special?

Ah. See this big grin on my face? That's because of Chris. He was right there when I needed him and he didn't pull back even when I didn't completely trust him. I praise God that he appeared in my life at just the right time.

The first time you saw him, did you like him immediately or did he have to grow on you?

The first time I saw him, I feared for his life since there was a robber with a gun in my store. I was afraid the thug was going to turn the weapon on Chris. Hard not to like a guy who stares down a gun barrel and stays when he could have run hard in the other direction, right?

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A special thanks to Jan Elder for today's special interviews.

On a bright, crisp December morning, jewelry store manager, Peridot
Keaton-Jones, arrives at work expecting to find her beloved uncle,
Marty. Instead, she’s greeted by the muzzle of a gun pressed to her
temple. When thugs assault her, threaten her life, and steal thousands
of dollars worth of jewelry, Peri can only pray her uncle is late to
work for the first time in his life.

Christopher Lane is a TV news cameraman in the right place at the
right time. He witnesses the heist, calls the police, and offers help
when Peri needs it most. She can't deny her attraction, but is he really
her hero, or is he just after a story? And with Christmas right around
the corner, can Peri and Chris avert a holiday disaster?